Team Fortress 2: Apprentices
by chemicalTrickster
Summary: As time goes by, Redmond and Blutarch Mann decide to take a different course and spice up the bullet wars between RED and BLU. Will it be the same old story over and over? Or will a new story bloom and sweep over across the mercenaries?
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue~**

"This is a huge problem," she muttered, tapping a few keys on the expansive board surrounding her. "It was a mistake to put your idea into action. Having third graders form BLU and RED teams, assign them classes and go as far to have them fight against each other? Mr. Youngblood, do you realize what's going to happen right?"

The large screen behind her displayed two teams, children smiling and laughing, determined to win. It was obvious which was on RED and BLU, their colored apparel making it clearly evident. They weren't exactly wielding weapons, but toy guns, inflatable bats, and non-dangerous playful bombs were being used, making it all too obvious. All too similar to Blutarch and Redmond's rivalries between each other. It just wasn't right. Mr. Youngblood slowly nodded his expression blank. He feared for his students. "They were the only group who got to participate in it. A parent complained on how it seemed too brutal and we put a stop to it right away miss. I bet these kids don't even remember those days. Plus it was only for those who signed up for the games."

She shot him a dark glare, folding her hands in her lap. "It isn't acceptable!" she retorted. "You know too much about TF Industries and abused the knowledge!"

The man stiffened, regretting of what he did in the past. Those littlie games were almost identical to the battle between the Mann brothers. Redmond recruited nine deadly mercenaries to fight with the nine mercenaries his brother recruited. Five days a week, those mercenaries were placed into RED and BLU teams, killing each other for great pay, with the exception of respawning after being killed. The teams were however, surprisingly matched, and the feud between the two siblings continued as one tried to outlive the other through life extending machines, which barely kept them breathing.

The littlie games that were imposed on that year were exactly the same as the Mann brother's feuds, the children "dying" after being touched by a weapon, and respawning in a separate location to keep fighting till the time was up. Based on the number of kills and efficiency, they were paid with prizes, whether it was simple cash pay or toys. Mr. Youngblood bit his lip. He knew she was running out of patience. "You still never said what would happen…"

"Ah yes." She switched the screens back to the bases, which were monitoring the mercenaries. "I have chosen nine kids, who will become apprentices for the RED team. They don't know yet about them. Obviously, you know what becomes of them."

On the screen displayed third graders, although their appearances might as well have been changed over the years they have grown up. His body went rigid and he could feel the color draining from his face. It was nine out of what? The hundred plus students. It wasn't a lot, yet he opposed the idea of placing one student in, let alone nine. Were there going to be nine more for the men on BLU? He didn't want to ask.

He didn't want to know.

It was obvious the Mann brothers found out about Youngblood's games for the children and found it amusing to watch them mimic the mercenaries. The bloody battles between RED and BLU were somewhat well known around adults and older teenagers, but people usually ignored it or stuck to one side.

She remained silent, her snakelike glare unbearable. Scratching the back of his neck, Youngblood took a deep breath. "I suppose that is all?" he whispered. "Or can you tell me how they will end up being with RED? I doubt their parents or guardians will allow this. If I do say so myself, they are still rather too young to work at this sort of job..."

"Does it look like I'm stupid?!" she sneered, folding her legs. "I have my ways. I guess you'll have fun watching them cope. Any more questions Mr. Youngblood?"

"No."

She swiveled around in her chair, ceasing to pay him anymore attention. After all, she had no intention of talking to him again. A bastard.

That's what he was.

Mr. Youngblood gave the woman one more glance before leaving.

11:30 PM.

It was late. _Geez_, he thought, lazily draping his coat over a chair. He had students to teach the next day and he most definitely didn't want to fall asleep on top of them. He had almost fallen asleep up the elevator and was stumbling across the hallway to his apartment, repeatedly poking the key incorrectly into the door keyhole till he finally got it right. "Dammit," he cursed, as he spotted his bedroom door ajar, lights on. "Did I seriously leave the lights on?"

Mr. Youngblood ran a hand through his damp brown hair, sighing. Walking in, he shut the door behind him. Sometimes, he wished a teleporter could be just provided anywhere. Unfortunately the teleporters of today weren't as cheap. "Hello there."

Youngblood's eyes snapped open, focusing on the woman sitting on the edge of his bed. Black hair tied into a loose low bun, glasses framing her soft brown eyes, and purple dress hugging her body. Miss Pauling smiled shyly, waving. "How the fuck…."

She said nothing, patting the spot next to her. "Haven't seen you in so long."

Youngblood managed a weak smile, but he wasn't up for midnight fun and games. His smile melted away in seconds. "Get out," he snarled. He didn't care anymore. All he wanted was sleep and to forget everything. Eradicate the past conservations from his brain. "Don't know how the hell you got into the apartment, but Pauling, you better get out. I'm not in the fucking mood."

Her grin still remained, and her eyes held an innocent glaze. "Neither is the Administrator."

He froze, eyes widening. "Do I need to show you to the door, Pauling?"

"She isn't exactly happy with you." She stood up, smoothing down the crinkles in her purple attire. She had a messenger bag slung over her shoulder, one hand reaching inside. She was a beautiful woman, and Youngblood wanted to hit himself for yelling at her. "Pierre…"

The man stiffened with horror as she pulled a large knife from the bag. Energy rushed back into his system, his fist lunging for her face. Miss Pauling ducked, plunging the blade.

"Pierre Youngblood…" she whispered.

She pulled the blade out of his body with one swift movement, stuffing it into her bag. "The Administrator wasn't really happy with you. She could sense you would protect those children. There was simply no use for you anymore." She leaned forward, planting a kiss on his forehead. "G'night Mr. Youngblood."

She took one glance at him before exiting the bedroom. She withdrew a cellphone out of her bag, tapping in a number. It rang for a few moments, till the Administrator's icy voice streamed in. "Yes," she replied. "Actually, I thought the Director was easier to kill. Pierre actually had the nerve to lunge at me." The Director was another victim, a filmmaker used by the Administrator to spy on the mercenaries for anything she possibly could use against them in the future. After keeping the employees in check, she ordered Miss Pauling to kill him.

She leaned against the doorframe, nodding. "You sure you want me to leave the body here? …okay."

Miss Pauling nodded then sighed, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. Turning off the lights, she eased out of the ajar apartment door, making a slow walk to the elevator. She smiled.

Her work for today was completed.


	2. Students of Sevystria

"Did you hear?"

Konrad waved the newspaper in his older brother's face, who was sitting across from him. Groaning, Mat grabbed the thin paper, chewing on his spoonful of cereal. Shaking his head, he swallowed, shooting his brother an awkward glance. "Since when did _you _read the newspaper?"

He shrugged. "The title just caught my eye," he replied coolly. "You might want to check it out. The guy might look familiar to you."

Mat scanned the headline, confused. **MAN FOUND DEAD IN APARTMENT. **He was sorry for the death alright, but murders flittered around everywhere, in the news, and even in his hometown. He thrust the paper back to Konrad, who stubbornly chucked it back. It smacked him lightly on the face, nearly dropping into his cereal bowl. "Agh!" he yelled. "What the heck?"

"You didn't frickin' read it, that's what."

Mat pushed his glasses up, narrowing his eyes. "Did I have to?" he grumbled, not waiting for an answer. He only skimmed the article, at the same time eating his breakfast. It was just another death, in an apartment complex not too far from where they lived. It was hypothesized that the man was killed with a blade…no evidence of whom it was. The police ended the search after a couple hours investigating.

**Condolences to Pierre Youngblood's family.**

His eyes focused on the name.

Why did it seem so familiar?

"I think this…this guy was a teacher," Mat said, eyeing his younger brother. "Did you have him?'

Konrad was currently in the fourth grade, a goofball among his classmates. However, his grades were at a satisfying level and that was all that Mat cared about. Keeping his brother in check was one of his top priorities, even though Konrad could be the little nut at times. Everything was paid for by officials, and Mat, being the guardian (at the shocking age of fourteen), had to maintain order to keep Konrad with him. Konrad swallowed the last morsel of his breakfast, shaking his head. "Nope. Though I think I saw him wandering around the building once. He's weird."

"You don't say." Mat looked at the article again, frowning. "I swear he was in charge of something when I was in the third grade. I think it was a club for games or whatever. Whatever it was, I know it was really fun…I think."

"It never said how the guy was important," Konrad pointed out. He swiftly hopped off from his seat, popping open the dishwasher to place his dishes in. Mat pushed his empty bowl and silverware towards him, gesturing to the dishwasher. He glanced back, snatching the things from the edge of the table. Mat looked up at the clock. "Shit."

He dashed from his chair, veering into the hallway. Slinging his backpack over his shoulder, Mat dashed to the door, slipping on his sneakers. "Make sure you don't miss your bus!" he ordered Konrad, who stared skeptically at him. "See ya!"

Konrad waved goodbye as he heard the lock click. Like _he'd _be late for his bus.

"Hey, hey, hey!"

He smirked, waving her lunch bag out the car window. "Ya forgot something kid!"

Stuey rushed back to Jason, grabbing the bag from his hands. "Haha, thanks," she gasped, sprinting back to the opening double doors. Jason looked at the middle school, marveling at how much it changed. From some little skimpy school to an elegant tall building with just about everything to draw the kids in.

Kids who didn't board the buses filed in through the back doors, and already, Stuey could see the large crowds trying to squeeze themselves through. She plunged straight into them, slowing to a fast walk through the bustling students. Seats were valuable in class and she didn't want to be late in nabbing her desired seat. Taking the hallway to the left, she jogged up the staircase to the eighth grade floor, where the lockers were lined up n the white walls, stripes of blue among a sea of white. Five rooms were located between them, each belonging to a subject. Smiling, Stuey squeezed between other students to reach her locker. "Stuey!"

Ash was right behind her, books and binders piled up in her arms. "Hey she answered, twisting the dial on her locker to the right combination.

"Well, I'll see you in Language Arts and Reading 'kay?"

"Yup." Stuey bent down, emptying her pack of all the subject necessities she needed. After stuffing her backpack inside, she closed her locker door shut, and twisted the dial back to zero.

Slipping out of the bunches of students struggling to get into their lockers, Stuey hopped over a few on the floor, before regaining balance. Swiping her light caramel bangs back, she stepped foot into her homeroom, where only a few students were early, talking to each other. Mrs. Harmony was at her desk, skimming a few things on her laptop, at the same time sipping a mug of coffee.

Zandra was sitting at the far end of the classroom, slumped over her desk. She seemed pretty tired; judging by the way she held her head in her hands and didn't even acknowledge her presence when she sat at the desk next to her. "Zandraaa!" Stuey whispered, poking the small girl's head.

"Sorry she apologized, straightening her posture. She still looked weary. "I'm just tired…Toby and I sort of argued last night. I'm usually on his side at things, but he can't simply say stuff about my grades. So what if I suck at Social Studies?"

Stuey shrugged. "Are you sure he isn't mad about something else?" she asked.

"No, he hasn't gotten into any fights with Raven and he always told me he didn't care much about my grades unless I started failing things." She laid her head on her desk, exasperated.

Stuey played with Zandra's hair, keeping quiet. It was best to let her cool off. Zandra usually wasn't the type to be so crabby, but ever since things started tensing around lunch, her moods were shifting a lot. And the girl wasn't afraid to show it. Stuey hummed while braiding her silky black hair, thinking about her guardian and Zandra's. Toby was Zandra's older brother who took over Zandra after the deaths of their parents took place. It was rumored that Stuey herself had an older sibling, but Jason seemed like the only older sibling-like person she ever had.

They almost looked alike, that was for sure. Jason's blonde-brown hair didn't exactly match up with Stuey's light brown hair, but they were often mistaken as siblings, or being related. On the other hand, Zandra seemed to be tanner than Toby, who was sort of lighter. Her hair was pitch black, and his was a darkish brown. At first encounter, Stuey thought Toby was her father, but on closer observations, it was obvious they were siblings. She couldn't imagine a daughter chucking a textbook at her father.

Stuey paused the braiding, flipping the hair upwards. Then she ruffled it up a bit. "Voila!" she announced, laughing. "A masterpiece!"

Zandra laughed, smoothening her hair back. Reaching over, she swiped at Stuey's short hair, who flinched back. Meanwhile behind them, was Tess, sitting with none other than Ashley. Usually the four of them would sit together in class; however the desks were split into rows of twos and threes, making it harder to sit together. So they split in half, occasionally switching when wanted or sitting in random spots altogether.

Tess took out her mini notebook, whipping out her mechanical pencil. Ashley's eyes widened as she flipped to the page labeled "People to Kill." "Um…." she mumbled, skimming over the tiny list. "I'm not on there right?"

Tess grinned, the red highlighted tips of her blonde hair matching just who she was. A bloody girl. "Nah," she replied, shaking her head. "There's no way I'm gonna kill you. You're the only one who isn't insane here."

Insider her head, Ashley groaned. Tess had labeled everyone insane, mostly Stuey, who seemed perfectly fine. At least Tess had the initiative of calling herself insane. "So…first is Gabriel, then Mat, and then Ray." She cackled evilly. "So waddya think?"

"Wasn't Ray your top priority?" Ashley asked.

"As of now, Gabriel is. I've got a whole pack of recruits helping me."

Ashley raised an eyebrow, taking the page to examine her scrawled handwriting. "And who are those recruits exactly?"

"Hmm I've got Stuey, James, and Mat to help me," she answered.

Ashley smirked, finding it a bit funny on how intent she was on setting out to assassinate these people. "So Zandra isn't in the pack?" she handed the notebook back, glancing at her petite friend near the bookshelves.

"Nope, she refused to. Plus she refused to even go after Mat!"

"Well, I can see that. I don't think she would ever want to kill them," pointed out Ashley.

"Well I can." Tess stuffed the notebook in the desk leaning back in her chair. "All I need is something heavy and good. Like a chainsaw."

"Oh wow."

Mrs. Harmony turned to the front, smiling at her students. Her homeroom was nuts, but that's how she liked it. "Okay guys; let's start with the lunch count shall we?"

He ran a hand through his bronze hair, waiting for his name to be called. "Gabriel Servilleno!"

"Choice five please."

Ms. Miura checked the choice on her lunch count, continuing through the list of names. He had his vocabulary notebook opened to his homework, finding hard word definitions in the book _Storyteller. _Fingering the worn out edges of the purple book, Gabriel flipped to the directed page number. Class was only starting, yet as Ms. Miura's soft voice read the chapter, he knew it was going to be a long day.

It had been a month into the school year and he found that things were getting a tidbit complicated. Sure, writing and reading were a piece of cake and social studies, to his opinion, the most enjoyable, but science and math were a hustle to get through. There wasn't as much time to hang out with friends and lunch wasn't exactly the peppiest thing in the whole world. He missed having Stuey and Zandra at the table and would hastily trade in Tess for them.

To add to his wonderful day, the skies were dark, and his eyes followed the movements of the droplets of rain that trickled down the glass window. He wondered how his little brother was doing back in the elementary school, envying the kid for how easy the workload there was. "So what are your opinions on Abel so far?"

Hands shot up across the room as soon as the words left her lips, one of them being his hand. Might was well contribute to the class, just to make it in for participation. He was the third one to be chosen, just as his arm was starting to ache. "Well," Gabriel began. "I think…that Abel's gonna be the good guy. I mean, just because Anna's friend says he's a shady guy doesn't mean that it's true right? And who knows? Maybe he isn't a drug dealer at all."

Ms. Miura nodded, taking another student afterwards. Sighing, he slowly eased his notebook onto his lap, flipping to a page where he left off on his doodles. Glancing back at the teacher to make sure she wasn't on to him, Gabriel took hold of his pencil and began sketching out what he hadn't finished.

_Core 3….Advisory…Encore…and then Lunch…Core 3, Advisory, Encore, Lunch…._ Libby hauled her books for Core three which was science, and did a hop backwards from the students crammed around the lockers. Only three things left to do till she could kick back and relax. "Liiiiiiiiibby!"

She could have sworn she heard someone, and craned her neck to look behind her. She took a few seconds to wait for the two girls rounding the corner, before she set off again, the three of them walking in unison down the hallway. Mr. Willdrick was propping the door open, greeting each student as they walked in. Zandra deliberately bumped into Libby, smirking. Ashley watched from the far end with curiosity. "Hurr, hurr! MUTHLE SPATHZ!"

Muscle spazzing came to life on the bus and the results of assigned seats placed Libby, Zandra, and Eustace together. Usually everything was all serene for the fifteen to twenty minutes they were there, but Libby decided to add some spice to the time being by "muscle spazzing" into the nearest sitting next to her. Zandra had become a frequent victim, receiving a slap to the eye, Eustace with a full out barreling burst, and James with a pat to the wrist. Either way, it was hard not to laugh.

Upon seeing the girl's actions, Mr. Willdrick raised an eyebrow, greeting them as usual. "Now girls," he began, leaning forward. "Don't kill each other."

Once inside the classroom, Libby laughed, throwing another muscle spaz movement towards Zandra. Taking their seats, which were somewhat far apart, Zandra, shot Libby a look. Ashley watched them in the background, sort of entertained. Mat was in his seat, poker face fully activated.

James hurried to his advisory class, today's being chorus. His friends insisted he joined, even though he was the one out of two guys there. He tried weaseling out of the situation, but soon enough, he gave in and went back to letting his singing voice be heard. Mrs. Jules had attempted to recruit more eighth grade boys to sing, with the wonderful promise of hanging out with the ladies.

James didn't intend to flirt with the girls, he just was there to sing…okay maybe once in awhile he would chat with one of his friends, but it wasn't like those were even close to flirting. Entering the closed off stage area, he saw that he was early, early enough to strum through a couple of tunes before the rest of the chorus members began trickling in.

An extra guitar sat in the far corner and he jogged to it, testing it out and tuning it a bit. Glancing around to make sure no one else was lurking around; the young African began strumming through the strings. After getting into the swing, he began singing softly, his smooth voice echoing across the room.

Too immersed in the music, James was oblivious to the two girls that entered the stage area. He was in the middle of a verse when he heard clapping. "Your voice is amazing!"  
James looked up to see Zandra in Stuey in front of him, amazed. Zandra grinned, poking him on the shoulder. "I never knew you could play the guitar," she said softly. "Pretty cool, although I'm more of a piano person."

He shrugged, placing the guitar to the side. "Thanks," he replied, letting out a little laugh. "Is Mrs. Jules coming?"

"Oh yes, I heard you playin' and singin'."

As if on cue, Mrs. Jules walked in, settling among her place with the piano, CD player, and speakers. A whiteboard was behind her displaying how many rehearsals were left till the winter concerts. There were about thirteen left, but James was sure they would be all ready to perform by the deadline. They had a few destinations to go to perform, and he was sure that theirs would turn out satisfactory. Mrs. Jules began playing one of the Christmas songs, singing along to it.

Knowing that class was about to begin, he placed the guitar back, sitting on the stands. He held the folder full of music, glancing at Zandra and Stuey who were talking amongst themselves. More girls entered, taking their seats among the stands, one side belonging to the altos, and the other, for the sopranos. "Okay!" yelled Mrs. Jules, clapping her hands together. "I guess we'll start with this little baby to get s pumped up. It's the easiest. We should at least have this done in a few."

Plucking the selected song out of the folder, James stood along with the others. Mrs. Jules pressed a button on the player, motioning for them to sit down to listen. A male child's voice wallowed in the air, his voice high pitched and sweet. James followed the lyrics to himself, absorbing the words. Peace.

Like that would ever happen.

It was almost the end of the day. Math class and bam, he could go back home. Not like school was hell, but the bad weather wasn't helping. Robert shifted in his seat, opening his math binder to the classwork section. Copying down the math problems on the ActivBoard up front, he solved them on the way, rushing his handwriting. He didn't exactly care. As long as it didn't look like scribbles he bet the teacher wouldn't give a crap. It was awhile since he got his share of "fun" in class. He reminisced back to when they could doodle in class and play games.

Eighth grade didn't seem to let much of that happen anymore

Ruffling his short dark brown hair, he took out a volume of Death Not, flipping to where he left off. It didn't take long till he shoved it back in his desk, flipping to an empty page in his binder. He began letting his imagination flow through the tips of his pencil, sketching out a drawing. He wasn't one of the populars, considering he was the tall bulky guy who had a passion for anime, video games, and sniping. Even if he had a talent for those areas, populars didn't agree with it.

And he never put up with their shit either.

Mrs. Riddell began ordering students to stop their antics and get back to work. Robert pushed his math problems to the side for her to see, and continued drawing, one hand propping his head up, the other holding his pencil. "Wutcha doin?"

He looked up, seeing Carrera leaning onto his desk. Usually he would talk to others around her, but she seemed to be interested in what he was drawing. Robert had different styles of drawing, however at the current moment; his page was just filled with stick figures. Mostly of battles and mini comical comics. Carrera's eyes scanned the page, laughing a bit. "Oh my god, maybe you should make this guy have a larger weapon to shoot-"

"Hey."

Mrs. Ridell stood over them, arms folded. "Are you done with your math problems?"

She jerked a finger back at the board, raising an eyebrow. Carrera nodded, quickly returning back to her work. Robert silently gestured to the answered problems, which she approved. Through the classroom's thick silence, the rain grew harder, a steady rumble patting against the school building. Rubbing his eyes, he let out a short yawn, looking at the darkened gray sky. So much for the weather brightening up. If the skies had at least been a tidbit brighter, the vibe of the day wouldn't be as dreary and slow. One more core and the day would be over.

He could do this.

"Whoa, really?"

Josh propped his cellphone up to his ear, digging into his backpack for his notebook. "Yeah, I'm coming," he replied, his fingers grasping the cold spine of his notebook. "Dance is at seven right? Well, sure I'll come. Friday's free for me anyways."

Monday.

Josh swiped back his black hair from his eyes, taking out a pencil from his case. He wrote down the date and time of the recreation dance, the set both materials aside. It had been about a year…or was it two? He had moved down into a different middle school, away from Sevystria Middle School. A new beginning.

It wasn't like life at his new school sucked, but it sure was a bummer to leave his old friends back there. At least he still hung out with Mat and had the opportunity to attend the dances held by Sevystria. Sevystria Middle School was pretty big, considering it contained about everything from an indoor pool to a game area and other places. Dances there were worth the five bucks. There was an upcoming dance that Friday, and he was pretty much free, so why not join the party? Or drama…whatever. Dances these days were usually not that peppy, and sometimes turned plain boring. He took a deep breath, watching droplets of rain race each other to the bottom of the window's glassy surface. "Josh?"

Snapping out of his idle trance, Josh swiveled around in his chair to see his guardian, Atticus, standing over him. His tousled black curls were damp with rain and his clothes were somewhat drenched. Despite his carefree attitude and decent looks, he never was interested in women, always making a joke about them. Josh looked up to his guardian, who often spent time playing video games with him or giving him a _wise _lecture on life. He was short and somewhat muscled, always drawing attention.

Giving Josh the smile he always knew, Atticus pulled over another chair and sat next to him. Josh remembered him as the babysitter who hung around with him when his parents were still alive. They had died in a stupid car accident because of a drunken man took the wheel and used the road as a whirly racetrack. Atticus had been with him from the beginning and took him in when he saw the window open. Josh didn't mind. He loved having Atticus around. "So…" he began, folding his arms behind his head. "I got a little something from the school."

He tossed the envelope to Josh, cracking open a can of Coke. "I'll letcha look at it first," he continued, gulping in a swig of soda.

"You're gonna get sugar drunk again," pointed out Josh, sarcastically. He smiled waiting for his reaction. Atticus just shrugged, chugging down the remaining contents of the can.

Laughing a bit, he tore the envelope open. Unfolding the papers inside. It was a letter from Mann Co., and a contract. "Are you sure this was from the school?" he asked, scanning over the typed words. He wasn't exactly reading, he was more of calculating how long it was.

Atticus burped, tossing the can into the trash bin and the other end of the room. "Well," he began. "It ain't from your current school. It's from the other one."

"Well, I'm not reading this," pouted Josh, gesturing to the amount of words. "I think it's a contract for something…And it _is _from Mann Co. Which is sorta weird…Don't they sell weapons and other military stuff?"

"Pffft…I don't know. And really, from them?" Atticus quickly snatched the paper from Josh. He read it over carefully, taking his time. A few minutes passed, making Josh a bit impatient.

"So…"

Atticus looked up at him, beaming. "They sent me your grades and reports on how you're doing in school too!"

Josh gawked at the papers, heart skipping a beat. He should have read it himself. Not that he was a terrible student but—" They say your grades are so high, they're going to treat you and bring ya out for a period of time! How cool is that?" Atticus threw his hands up in the air, laughing gleefully. "You get to miss school Josh!" And it's supposed to be kept a secret…so don't spill it. I say rub it in yo friends' faces when ya get there!"

Josh looked bewildered, not believing what he just heard. "Wait…so you're saying…just because of my high performance in school, I'm getting treated by Mann Co.?" Although excited by the offer, Josh was sort of nervous on the outcomes.

"Can't go with you," Atticus mumbled, clicking his tongue. "It only blabs on and on about you. So you still up for it? I'll sign it if you want."

He hesitated, staring out the window. Sighing, Josh nodded his head. "Sure why not?"

"Wow…to think Mann Co. would be giving out _these_?" Jason waved the papers around. "Not exactly like them."

"So what do you mean? You don't want me to go? I can stay if you want…it doesn't really matter." Stuey read over the contract, which stated that after signing, the guardian or parent agrees to let Man Co. celebrate her accomplishments in school with a mini vacation. Last time she checked her test grades, Stuey was sure she never earned an average so high into only the first marking period. It wasn't that unusual to be receiving these things, considering half of her junk mail contained letters saying shit like these. However Mann Co. was one of the most popular in the world, and from what other say, quite promising.

Jason paused the game with a swift movement of his hand, the music coming to an abrupt stop. They had been dancing for quite awhile but neither of them showed any signs of being tired. "Well...ugh…"-he stuttered, sighing. "I think…you should go. It's not every day someone gets called out for this, but hey, it could be fun….and worth it."

"But I want you to come," she whined. Never before had Stuey whined so pleadingly, but just the thought of going somewhere with people she didn't know set her on edge.

Jason gave her a reassuring smile, patting her on the head. "You'll be fine. I'll sign this thing and you can start looking forward to that surprise of yours."

"HA. HA. HA."

Zandra slapped the envelope in her brother's face, laughing sarcastically. "Told ya so."

She had gotten the letter when doing her usual rounds of taking the mail from the mailbox upon getting off the school bus. Feeling triumphant and nervous at the same time, she mustered up the guts to shove it in Toby's face. Surprisingly, he showed no sign of being angry, and instead he took the blow without even pinching. Maybe it was because she was lucky or the fact that his girlfriend, Kelsey was right beside him.

Not that the two girls were rivals, because they weren't. Kelsey was more like a mother to her, yet always had room for fun. They would girl talk and hang out together, thought Toby often was squeezed in between them. She had emerald green eyes, pale skin and short chocolate brown hair that fell in waves. She was only two years younger, Toby being nineteen and Kelsey being seventeen, nothing could seem to break them apart. "And you've been mad at her because of her low grades?!"  
Kels leaned over to read the papers, stifling a laugh. "Toby, did you even see correctly? Come on, Mann Co. even recognizes her for this!"

He blushed, still reading the papers. Kels snatched it from his hands, flipping to the last page. Handing him a pen, she gestured to the signature area. "Don't worry," she said, grinning. "I can keep a secret."

Gabriel pushed his little brother's head away from his shoulder. "Cello, shush. I'm reading."

Despite his arrogant reputation in school, Gabriel acted as a great, courteous model to Cello. He was only in the third grade, yet he knew the little guy needed to know who was boss around the house and how to deal with things since their parents were gone. His lifestyle was similar to Mat's as he found out in the previous years they have known each other. Thankfully, Social Services didn't try to mess with him and take Cello away. Good enough that they were smart for that.

Or the consequences would be highly a nightmare.

Cello climbed onto the arm of the chair, trying to make sense of what the papers were about. "What did you get? Is it a letter from a friend?" he asked.

Sighing, Gabriel pulled his little brother onto his lap so he could see well. "If anyone wanted to send me something, it would be over the internet Cello," Gabriel replied calmly. "This just says I earned myself a vacation…or something like that."

"Cool! Can we go to Disney World?" Cello grew excited, bouncing in his brother's lap. "

"I'll most definitely sign the thing, but it didn't mention if you could come along. Well don't worry; I'm not leaving you here alone one way or another. They can't make me."

He took a pen and signed his name.

Cello turned around and looked up at his brother's face. "We can still go to Disney World, right?"

He smiled, chuckling a bit, then rubbed his brother's head. "Sure we can."

"Get the hell out!" Mat yelled, slamming the door.

Konrad scampered out, but not before saying a couple of curse words. "What did I tell you about saying that?!" he shrieked, hands clenched into fists. "GET OUT!"

Sighing, Mat fell back into his rolling chair, ripping open the envelope. Konrad could be a pain in the ass… nope, he _is _a pain in the ass. It's like the kid wanted him to get mad. His ees focused on the letter, reading it over. "A vacation? Oh yes, that would be heaven It would be great to—" Ooh, what's that?"

Mat screamed as the paper tore a cut through his skin from where Konrad snatched it. "OH MY GOD, CAN YOU JUST FRICKIN GET THE F—"

He continued on and on, till his voice bcame hoarse. Konrad was backed up in a corner, eyes wide in response to his brother's ranting. "You just said a lot of curse words!" he said, his voice a whisper.

Mat let out an exasperated shriek, shoving Konrad out of the room.

Yes.

He didn't _want _the vacation, he _needed _it.

"Girl, and you said you were stupid." Mary slapped hand on her adopted child's shoulder. Her fiery curls dangled around her face, eyes bright amber jewels. She was an extravagant tall woman, yet the type who sought adventure. Not to mention the only one who dared to adopt the girl before her.

Tess squealed, laughing hysterically once her brain went through the last word of Mann Co.'s letter. "I think… Oh god… I swear they mistaken me with someone. There's no way I could have gotten this. Shiz, I can't even wait to tell—"

"Woah there," Mary interrupted. "You can't tell anyone got it? Says so, remember?"

"Oh yeah…" her face darkened for a bit, but lit up instantly, her finger twirling the crimson tips of her hair. "Then they'll have to find out one I'm gone. She snickered.

This was perfect.

"Uh, yes I can," James retorted.

Jim leaned against the doorframe, studying his papers. His white blonde hair seemed to be glowing amongst the dark tan of his skin. Cap pulled low over his head created a dark shadow across his face. He was the type of guy to be stern and strict most of the time, but it was only a cover. He didn't want to see his kid find out what was under his mask. James' brothers sat on the couch, one strumming a guitar while the other cleaned his sword. They sat quietly, not bothering to interrupt the quarrel. If it was between the three, it was on, if it included Jim, it would be mistake to add on. "Please?"

James's voice grew a bit strained. "But I can't go," protested Jim, shooting an icy no-no glare his way.

"Come on, seriously! I'm fourteen and can take care of myself."Eyes ablaze, James lunged towards Jim, swiftly bringing his guardian to his knees.

With one foot, he pinned him to the floor, wooden katana pointed against his neck. "Why be so worried about me gettin' hurt?" James replied. "See? You trained me to this point, where I—where I'm almost just as strong as you."

Smirking, Jim tripped James with a swift swing of his leg. Catching the katana in his hands, he sprang up, pointing at James's chest. "Not really," he pointed out.

James threw a punch to the gut, grabbing the katana. He whacked Jim in the stomach, making him reel backwards. "Nice one," Jim complimented, grinning. "Promise me you'll beat the crap outta whoever tries to hurt you?"

"I'll come back home with no injuries—not even a bruise," James promised, twirling the katana in his hands.

"Then you've won yourself your prize."

"Wow, usually schools would send in a certificate, but this is the first I've seen Mann Co. actually support education."

Yumi's brown hair was tied into a loose bun, loose chocolate curls bouncing as she cooked dinner. Robert breathed in the scent of what she was cooking, sighing. "I still say that this is most likely going to be a joke," he retorted quite unsure about the situation at hand.

"If you're wondering about safety and worrying that someone might assassinate you—"

Robert shifted in his seat, looking straight at his guardian. "They should be worried more about themselves getting hurt," he interrupted. "I can snipe just as well."

Yumi had her usually smirk playing around her face, as she withdrew a pistol out of the drawer. "I'm way better than you," she teased, playfully aiming at the window.

"You can't really snipe accurately with that small thing anyway," shot back Robert. "Still way better than you."

"But I can gain more headshots, boyo."

Yumi set the pistol aside, swiveling around. She busied herself by tending to the oven. "And you best take care of yourself," she warned, wagging her finger. "Or your hot guardian here will have to save you."

"Letters were received by the selected families," reported Miss Pauling, standing before the Administrator. "All the ones you chose out should have gotten them by now. But…I really don't think it's necessary to be doing this."

The Administrator blew out a puff of smoke, holding her cigarette to the side. "I think it _is _necessary, plus I chose the easier ones to toy with," she replied dryly.

Miss Pauling's fingers tightened around the clipboard she was holding. "But they're just children!" she protested. "They still have a youth life to live out, and we're placing them in this?"

"Teenagers, Miss Pauling, teenagers," corrected the woman. "Teenagers are ruthless juvenile delinquents, always containing a dirty side no matter how pure the outside of them seems. Someday in their adulthood they would have to experience this kind of thing anyway. Nothing in this world is fair, Miss Pauling. They aren't exactly children anymore, and aren't too long before they enter college."

"They haven't even graduated out of middle school!"

"And I guarantee you they will have more knowledge by the time their peers graduate out of highschool. There's no protesting, Miss Pauling. Orders from both Blutarch and Redmond. Finally, those stupid weeds have finally agreed to something in those petty feuds of theirs. There's no turning back on this one."

"And what if one of the families decide to be smart and refuse the offer?" retorted Miss Pauling. "Then what?"

"Then, we will keep sending it. Again and again. If they don't sign it, further actions will be taken," she answered. "And they won't be pretty."

**A/N: I know it's pretty long and choppy, but what do you guys think so far? This took awhile to put together, and I had to revise the end just to make it end sort of smoothly.**


	3. Meeting

"Yo Miss Pauling!" RED Scout waved frantically, a huge grin spread wide across his face. He was holding the living room door open for her gesturing inside with a sweep of his arm.

Upon nearing him, Miss Pauling mustered up a smile, and thanked him as she walked in. Scout followed, hands shoved inside his pockets. "SO….wanna stay after the meetin'?"

A small sigh escaped her lips. Both Scouts seemed to be insanely into her, and she despised the fact that neither of them could get a hint. "I'm afraid not," she replied. "I have things to do unfortunately."

She remembered the meeting with the BLU Team, knowing fairly well what was arranged. Although the BLU members weren't getting into the same situation as RED, she knew it would be a matter of time before one of the men snooped around and found out. That meeting sort of stretched longer than she had expected, but Miss Pauling was determined to leave before too many questions were targeted towards her.

Most of the questions she wouldn't be able to answer.

"Well, that's too bad, ya know?" Scout seemed down for a second, then lit up. "So what're we doin' today?"

"Just go take a seat."

All nine mercenaries were present sitting down quietly or standing still. Miss Pauling walked over to the TV, turning it on. The screen flickered to a muscled Australian with a hairy chest and a slick moustache. His wide brimmed hat cast a soft shadow across his face, yet his eyes still glimmered. He was in a beach, lounging on a chair, a drink in his hand. "How's it going over there, boys?" he asked, grinning a dazzling smile.

"Just dandy ya know?" Scout leaned back, folding his arms behind his head. "Same as always."

"Well…what if I told you things would change for awhile?" Saxton straightened his posture, squinting as the sun hit his eyes. He folded his hands, leaning towards the screen. "What if I told you the Mann brothers want me to do somethin'? Like send over a bunch of people?"

Pyro perked up at the suggestion, clapping his hands together. "What do you mean by people?" asked Heavy.

"New recruits?" asked Spy, shaking his head. "Each recruit you have sent to 'help' our performance have been utter failures."

"If it's prostitutes…" Soldier drew in a breath, shaking in anger. "What do you take me and my men f-"

Saxton waved his arms, shaking his head. "Woah there mate, you're getting a bit too ahead of yourself. There is no way I'm sending anymore recruits. They don't help and as of now there's no reason you need them. These people I'm sending in will become your apprentices. And yes, it is mandatory and a part of your job to teach them. I'm not saying you have to play school, you also can have some fun."

"Are there gonna be any girls?" questioned Scout. Miss Pauling rolled her eyes at the guy, holding tight over the clipboard she desperately wanted to smack him over the head with.

"How old will they be?" asked Spy suspiciously.

Saxton laughed. "That's for me to know, and for you to find out."

"However," he continued. "Engineer, some time either tomorrow or today, you'll notice a garbled bunch of gibberish on your respawn list. Don't pay any attention to them or try to decode the names."

The Texan gave a curt nod of approval. "And that was mighty quick right?" Saxton sipped a bit of his drink, then stretched. "I'll let the lady do the rest of her job."

The screen flickered to a blank one, reflecting everyone. No doubt that each were shocked, even if it wasn't written on their faces. "Okay then!" Miss Pauling clapped her hands together. "That was shorter than expected! Well, you get it right? Right. Just to let you know, the more advanced your apprentice becomes, the more bucks you earn. And just putting it out there, BLU knows nothing about what's going on and I suggest you men keep it that way."

"Why are we exactly doing this?" Demoman asked. "Aye, if ya ask me, I see no point."

Miss Pauling was already at the door, clipboard in hand. "You'll get the point once you see them."

As she walked out, escaping further questions, she began feeling sick again. _Wouldn't you be entertained, _she thought. _If you saw nine year olds out in the battlefield?_

Miss Pauling remembered the conversation she had with the Administrator. They had discussed the Mann brother's latest requests. The Administrator didn't care one way or another, but Miss Pauling disliked the idea. She remembered the little boy who had stabbed the man with an icicle the BLU Spy gave him.

She shuddered.

If Jack was out there…

"Ugh…"

She didn't even want to think anymore.

**A/N: Some of these things refer to the comics and I hope I got Saxton right. Cough. I had a hard time trying to write him out. I'm still getting used to writing in third person since most of what I used to write were in first person. However, I found it exhausting to keep switching point of views in first person, therefore I stuck with third. **


	4. Tense Debate

"It is probably just a joke," said Medic, looking quite uninterested.

"Mudda fudda fudda!" Pyro shook his head, making quirky hand movements.

"They ought to have a reason why we really have ceasefire," muttered Sniper. "There's no holiday coming except Halloween if you count that one, and Thanksgiving after that."

Heavy snorted. "We did not even have off on Halloween and Thanksgiving last year!"

"Then that means they _are _sending us a whole pack o' lasses and lads!" Demoman put his hand to his forehead. "That woman was _not _ kidding."

Spy was busy pacing around the room, twiddling with the cigarette in his hands. Grunting, Sniper stood up from his seat, setting his mug of coffee down on the side table. "Oi Frenchie!" he called, walking over to Spy. "You've been awful quiet."

"Yeah," piped up Scout, bounding towards the man. "Where's your words o' wisdom."

Engineer was trying to ignore it all, and as he entered the room, made a beeline towards his guitar. Smirking, Soldier stuck out his foot, nearly tripping the Texan. The guitar was in his arms and he was gently strumming it, making no absolute tune at all. Engineer regained his balance, shooting Soldier an irked look. Soldier gave the guitar back, chuckling a bit. "Anything from the respawns?" he questioned.

"Solly, it's only been a half hour since Miss Pauling left, of course nothin' showed up on them lists," he answered, checking he guitar over for any damages. "Hey Spy, got anythin' yet?"

Spy sat down, shoving the Bostonian a few feet away. Scout nearly fell, flailing for a few seconds before he stumbled into the wall. "What da hell was that for?" he muttered, wincing.

"I prefer to have my own personal space, mon ami," replied Spy, not even bothering to apologize. "I just want to conclude something. We are most definitely receiving apprentices some time soon. However, the whereabouts of these newcomers are classified, and no matter how we try, we are most likely going to get each assumption incorrect. What is of my concern right now is the real purpose of these apprentices."

Pyro cocked his head to the side, comparing one large matchstick with one other smaller matchstick. He seemed to playing with them, making them bob up and down. "Looks like the big lad can't wait for one to train," Demoman laughed a bit. "Though I don't see how it's possible."

"Maybe he von't even get one," whispered Medic.

"Or maybe he will," Spy continued. "Speaking of what I was saying earlier, we might lose our jobs."

Scout immediately bolted up at the mention of the idea, a blaze of anger, crossing through his eyes. Before the boy could even speak, Solider butted in, holding up a finger. "So you're saying their motive is to train these people to what? Become better than us?"

"Exactly."

"And when they _do _ turn out better," Scout began.

"They will become our replacements!" Heavy finished, quite shocked.

Spy sarcastically clapped, smirking. "Congratulations mon ami, you have finally caught on. That was my prediction."

"Well you oughtta know that losing our jobs may not be the case!" pointed out Sniper. "If you think about it, if the Administrator wasn't happy with our performance, we would have been confronted ages ago or fired."

Scout walked over to Sniper, snatching the hat and placed it on his head. "Oi'm Snoipa, and Oi have a point!" he said aloud, trying to keep the giggling from spilling overboard.

Before Sniper could hit him, Scout placed the hat back, laughing. "What ya lookin' at me for? Ya _do _have a point!"

Sniper just shook his head, adjusting his hot. A creak sounded from the couches as Medic stood up, smoothing down the creases in his pants. "Vhy don't ve discuss in ze mess hall?" he suggested, a tired twinge in his voice. "I could really use somezhing to ease my headache."

Engineer stopped playing his guitar, glancing up at the man. He could tell the "special" additions were stressing him out. He nudged Soldier, then stood up. "I'm goin'" he spoke up, stretching. "And let's do ourselves a favor, shall we?"

"And what may that be?" Demoman asked.

"To never speak of this again till the time comes."

Scout smirked. _Well, that's a first._

**A/N: I also had noticed that this fanfic might have revolved just around the apprentices, but I'll try my best to split both perspectives up, and such. Anyways, what do you think? **


	5. A Hand to Hold

_Bip! Bip! Bip!_

Konrad groaned, rolling over in his bed. Mixing with the steady rumble of the rain were the annoying shrieks of the alarm clock. He groped around, finally pressing the right button. Sitting up, he leaned forward, grabbed his glasses, and turned on the lamp. Konrad still felt a bit woozy, and his body was dizzily swaying from side to side.

It wasn't like himself to wake up so early, even if it were on a school day. Usually Mat would drag him out of bed, or shake him awake. However Mat was still asleep, having played a video game late into the night. He glanced at the clock, which read 5AM. "Why am I even doing this?" he muttered, rubbing his eyes.

Truth be told, the child still wanted to see the letter. Since the day Mat had used almost every single word of profanity in Polish, Konrad wanted to have the full scoop. And Wednesday morning was a good time as any. Climbing out of the bed, Konrad trudged out of his bedroom, walking down the dark hallway. He slowly turned the doorknob, peeking inside. He could hear the steady breathing of his older brother emanate from the thick covers. On the desk was the envelope sitting on top of the laptop.

Konrad tiptoed towards the jackpot, looking back every so often at Mat. His hand quickly snatched the envelope, heart skipping a beat. _Yes! He's still asleep!_ He swiftly tiptoed out, closing the door silently before making a mad dash to his bedroom. "Finally, yes!" he squealed, flopping onto his bed.

He slipped the papers carefully out of the envelope, unfolding its contents to see what was kept from him for so long. "Okay, probably only like three days, but that's not keeping me from finding out," he whispered to himself.

His eyes scanned each typed page till it swept over the last of the words. Only one thing was missing and that was the information form. From what he had read, Konrad felt as if it were baloney. Kist a piece of cheese his brother would eagerly go after. "It can't be true, it can't be true," he stuttered, clutching the papers tight in his hands. Nowhere did it mention of what happened to him when Mat left. Surely they knew Mat was _his _guardian, _his_ brother. That there was no one else who would take him. That even if he were left alone, he wouldn't stand it.

But Mat had turned in the forms.

There was no way he could keep his brother for much longer.

Konrad stuffed the papers back into the envelope, chucking it onto his side table. Staring at the ceiling, thoughts ripped through his brain. _What if Mat knew what the risks were for me? What if it was on purpose, just to leave me? Maybe…Maybe he doesn't care about me anymore… That's it….He hates me…He hates me…"_

"KONRAD!"

He didn't even bother looking. Instead, he threw the envelope towards the direction of the voice and dove beneath the covers. His pillow soon began feeling damp and he didn't care if Mat saw. Konrad felt the bed sheets shift a little and Mat's arms around him. "Seriously, just ask next time," he whispered.

"B-but…You-You hate me… Th-that's why you're lea-leaving..," Konrad choked out, hiccups overtaking his throat.

"I don't hate you," blurted Mat, a bit shocked. "Just because I yelled at you doesn't mean I hate you. I'm sorry okay? I didn't mean to take it out on you."

Konrad sniffled a little, rubbing his eyes. "Then why didn't you tell me sooner? Why was it such a frickin' big deal that I couldn't see it?"

"I-I just didn't want to rub it in your face. I thought you'd be jealous and you would start raging around the place!" Mat sighed, sitting up on the bed. He wiped away the tears on his brother's cheeks with the sleeve of his shirt. "Look, once I get into contact with whoever's bringing me, I'll persuade them to let you come. Truthfully, there's no way I can leave you here alone and I don't want anything happening to you."

Mat pulled the covers comfortably around Konrad, then placed his glasses back on the table. He walked towards the door, flipping the lights off. "Promise?"

He swiveled around looking at Konrad. "Promise."

**A/N: I was afraid I might have made Konrad sound older than he really seems, but I hope I got him alright for a fourth grader. I didn't want him to be too immature, but then again, his guardian being Mat, there's just some things he hasn't learned to cope with. For Konrad and Mat's relationship, I never wanted to make siblings whether it be Cello and Gabriel or Zandra and Toby, to be an ever so perfect relationship. Each have their flaws, and display what siblings act like today. **


	6. Walk Through Time

Gabriel strained his neck to look over the crowds of students bustling in the hallways. He was searching for a certain someone, the girl who had the glue to keep everyone together. Without her, everything fell apart. Three out of the four outcast table leaders left, one following another, the third leaving after another wrangle with a newcomer.

And they left only him.

Not that it was too much a position to handle alone. There just was not enough spice to bring back the old days. One had the knack for being awkward and making everyone laugh, her laughter alone bringing a smile to everyone's faces. The second was a skinny noodle who was once a new addition but a mother to all, and the one who put immature over mature. The third one was a short little gal who seemed quiet, but she was the glue. It took awhile to find her, but soon enough, he did. "Hey sis," he called out, waving.

She was leaning against the office window, watching as other students fooled around on the gym floors. Zandra glanced up at him, shooting an icy glare. "What do you want?" she asked. "And why are you calling me your sister?"

Gabriel frowned, sensing that something was clearly up. Zandra knew perfectly why he called her "sis". In the family tree Tess had created, Gabriel had first been placed as her father, but was soon moved down to being her brother. It was once every while to hear Zandra snap at anyone, let alone him. Gabriel thought back to what she just said, shuddering. She wasn't being sarcastic either. "Okay, okay." He stepped forward. "Whatsa matter?"

Her eyes grew wide and she shook her head, laughing nervously. "Everything's fine…just…"-she sighed, averting her stare-"Shadow thought the contract was a hoax. So the whole mansion went into hysterics and of course, there was a war between Shadow and Luca. Since Raven sided with Luca, it was hard."

Gabriel gave her a befuddled look, and before long, she was shaking it away. "Forget it," she said. "Forget what I said."

"A contract, huh?" he questioned, grinning.

"Yeah..mhm….a contract…for um…" she thought for a moment, brewing up the biggest lie she knew Gabriel would swallow. "For Luca to become my guardian."

"Oh, oh." Gabriel nodded. "Makes sense. Why didn't you just call for me? I could have broke up the fight."

"No, you would have joined the fight. Trust me, it's hard to back out when you get all riled up," she corrected. "Plus, if you stay neutral, you'd probably get killed. You're fighting against the mansion here."

"Does it look like I care?" scoffed Gabriel, shaking his head.

The gym was being split in half, sliding walls slipping into place to divide the halves. Zandra spotted Ms. Mooney's homeroom running for the other half and gestured to the scrambling crowd. "You better get going," she pointed out, peering past his shoulder. "I'll see you at lunch. I'll just sit with you guys today."

"Oh-okay…Wow that was easy-I mean-"

"Wait, what?"

Gabriel shook his head again, backpedaling towards the ajar door. "I meant to say, see you at lunch, " he stuttered.

Zandra giggled a little, twisting the ends of her black hair. She spotted Stuey chatting to Ashley next to the exit doors and quickly bounded towards her. Grinning, she pounced on the wiry girl, hanging onto her neck. "Ack…Zar…k…"

"Honey." Zandra felt a tap on her shoulder. "You're short dear, and wait…" Tess knocked her head. "Your pea sized brain seems to have evaporated into nothing. And oh…you're killing Stuey/"

"Zank…Ahk…." Stuey flailed, Ashley beside her unfolding Zandra's arms from her neck.

"There ya go," Tess smiled, patting Zandra's head.

Stuey waved the accident away hastily, staring at the girl awkwardly. Although Zandra could be mistaken for being older than her, her height made it hard to decide. Meanwhile, the long wait for gym to begin made Ashley uneasy. She nonstopped fiddled with her braid, staring at a woman talking to Mrs. Kingsleigh. For some reason, the woman looked familiar, as if she had seen her years ago.

_"So, you finally got it?"_

_ Mr. Youngblood stood by a chair, above it hanging a large pod. Ashley took in slow breaths watching a younger woman fiddle with the dials. "Yes, the man who built it said it wouldn't hurt the children at all."_

_ The man wiped away dust particles from his glasses, nodding. "It better not. The parents are pissed enough as it is," he replied. "It should only work on the children since they have the memories."_

_ Ashley ducked into the shadows, holding her sniper rifle close to her chest. She was sent here by her team to figure out why the administrators and staff suddenly put a pause to the games. __**It couldn't have been the rebellion**__, Ashley thought, shaking her head.__** They fixed that problem.**__ "Should I get a kid to test this thing out?" asked the woman, turning to Mr. Youngblood._

_ Sigh. "Go ahead."_

_ She had always known Mr. Youngblood to be quite an honorable man, but seeing him in such a shady place, talking about them like it was nothing disturbed her. Memories? Why get rid of them? Heart beating wildly, panic took over the little girl. Ashley made a run for it, slipping as she neared the door. Scrambling back up, she groped for the doorknob, her small fingers finally gripping the doorknob. Just as a hand clamped around her shoulder._

_ "Ah, you must be Ashley Sheenan." The woman smiled warmly, tucking a lock of silky black hair behind her ear. "Sniper from the BLU team I reckon?"_

_ The woman took a step back to give Ashley some space, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. She quickly reached behind the girl, a click sounding from the door. "What was that?"_

_ Ashley began fumbling around for her rifle, pointing it at the woman once she had a firm hold. "I just want to ask you a favor."_

_ "No." Her finger pulled the trigger, hurling a red sphere. It splattered onto the woman's purple dress, staining the attire with a red blotch. Ashley shook her head, not believing what she saw. Wasn't she supposed to disappear the minute she was hit? Or at least slow down or lose points?_

_ "This isn't a game anymore." Mr. Youngblood, having heard the commotion, walked into the hallway, a smirk curving up his lips. "What I need you to do is to sit over here." He grabbed her small hand, the rifle clattering to the floor. "The pod above will go over you. You won't be able to see for awhile, but afterwards, you'll feel all better."_

_ The woman helped a reluctant Ashley up the seat, stroking her curly hair. She secured a waist belt around Ashley, then backed away out of the platform. "I want my mommy and daddy," she whimpered._

_ A hurt look crossed the woman's face as she backed a few steps more. "Mommy and daddy are waiting outside," she said quickly. "Don't cry, honey, it won't hurt."_

_ Tears stung the little girl's eyes as glass surrounded her. She heard Mr. Youngblood click his tongue. "Better not hurt," he muttered._

_ Ashley reached for the belt, struggling to take it off. Her surroundings became hazy, yet she could still see the woman tearing off her glasses, pressing her face against the glass. "MISS SHEENAN!"_

"Wa-huh?"

Mrs. Kingsleigh shot her a strange look. "Are you alright? Fell asleep with your eyes open, huh?"

Ashley's cheeks burned as her ears met the rising giggles from the class behind her. She quickly stood back in line, smiling nervously. Mrs. Kingsleigh laughed, continuing her explanation of instructions to the class. Sensing something was wrong, Ashley leaned forward a bit, scanning the line for the three girls she stood with. All three had disappeared.

So did the mysterious woman.

James sat down at the lunch table, squeezing next to Mat. The rest of the boy gang were present and it had been awhile since he had sat with them. Same with Mat and Libby, who was one of the only females to be able to sit there. Or at least could stand sitting there. Across from him sat Robert, who was sipping his drink, chatting with Alex. He had talked with Robert beforehand, trying to conceal the contract's existence. It was hard to keep it inside, but Jim insisted on keeping it from the closest of friends. Besides Jim, the only ones in his school who knew about it were Dan and Sam, his brothers.

They got a freebie.

Beside him, Mat glanced back at the original table, which was still empty, then craned his neck to look at Gabriel's table. Aside from Stuey and Zandra, Tess was missing too. Since the two girls failed to appear at the original table, both him and James moved to Robert's for more company. "Libby!" Gianluca swiveled around in his seat, a playful smile growing across his face.

"Meow!" Libby chucked a chocolate wrapped at him, laughing. "Meow."

"Hiss!" Mat shook his head, tossing a zip-loc bag at the girl.

"Purrrrr…."

Mat gently pushed Libby's head away, smiling. Although she was his girlfriend, being a little too touchy made him uneasy and purring just didn't seem right. "So have you seen, Zandra, Tess, Ashley, and Stuey?" she questioned. "Ashley has her lunchbox here so she still has to be in the building."

Mat shrugged, biting a bit of his sandwich. "She could be in the bathroom," he suggested.

"If she was in the bathroom, then she has problems," stated Libby flatly. "I checked the sign out sheet. Her name isn't there."

"It's starting to worry me too," mumbled James, catching the conversation. He stood up, holding his tray to go hand it in. "Im just gonna go sign out for the library and go look for them."

"Good luck with that," answered Mat, staying put. "You won't make it back for fourth core if you wander around all floors."

"He's got a point," agreed Sam.

"I won't wander," he protested, turning in his tray. "I know this school inside and out."

He walked over to the sign out sheet, listed his destination, then grabbed a pass. Sprinting out of the cafeteria, he saluted to Mat, who returned the gesture. Cafeteria noises dwindling, James paused for a moment, contemplating his search route. Sevystria Middle School had up to three floors, if counting the basement, made it four. It was worth a try, but James headed for the stairs, scanning the halls before slipping into the door. He was aware of the cameras hidden in the darkness.

It didn't matter.

Nothing did.

Especially when he could already hear their voices.

**A/N: More characters are yet to be introduced, although not all we be that significant. What do you think of them so far? **


	7. Bump In

_Okay, maybe I'm just seeing things._ Ashley leaned back against the wall, feeling that same chill run down her spine. The same woman had a long table set up, the three girls sitting across from her. She had scampered around the sixth and seventh grade floors, finding that the classes were inhabited by only their right students and teachers. She even peeked into the extra rooms, hoping to see the tips of their heads. Even the eighth grade floor held no sign they were there.

The basement was her last choice, and she hit herself earlier for not going there first. It was different than she had expected. Ashley had hoped to see a dim, damp basement with concrete walls, pipes weaving everywhere and the floors to be caked with dirt and filth. Instead it looked just like an empty floor, minus all the extra rooms, the floors buffed up and the walls a soft hue of blue. She had been listening for about fifteen minutes, till she finally mustered up the courage to slip down another flight to listen clearly. "Do you remember anything?" the woman questioned, scribbling notes into her clipboard. "That machine was supposed it all away."

_So that's what it's for._ "The first one who tested it suffered a bit of memory loss more than expected, such as who her parents were. We had to change the settings up a bit for the rest of the members," the woman continued. "Fortunately the girl only had memory loss for a couple days before regaining the memories she needed most. However, that machine removed a tidbit of memories from the littlie games. For the well-being of yourselves, and for the sake of everyone's parents and guardians. But, by now, the effect should be wearing off and all former members will start remembering."

A wave of shock passed through her body at everything she had said. Ashley remembered everything. _So that wasn't a dream…it wasn't my imagination…_she thought glumly. Ashley's cheeks burned at the remembrance of her memory loss, how worried her parents had been after those hazy days of her life. How forlorn she felt when she wondered why she was wearing a certain uniform. She even forgot how to use a gun.

A finger tapped her shoulder, making her spin around. "I thought it was you." James smiled. "Sniper."

"Aren't you starting to remember?" Ashley whispered back. "Everything? I can't deny it never happened…I…I…I remember almost every single thing."

"I got a few memories coming back,"—he tapped his head—"I began having wierd dreams for a day and a half now and random blankouts. I thought I was going crazy, but I guess not. All of that was real. At least I remembered who I was, my team, and my team number."

They quieted down a bit, crouching down next to the railing, letting the dimness conceal them. Tess's voice rose above all, a string of words streaming out of her mouth. Among that, Stuey's voice was nowhere to be heard and the soft pitch of Zandra's muddled in with Tess's. Ashley could hear the strained regretful tone as the woman apologized over and over again. "Why couldn't we just keep them?" Zandra asked. "If we just kept them, nothing would have really happened. We would just keep on living, and eventually laugh over it now."

"I had no choice in it okay? What Mr. Youngblood, the man who used to be the principal of the elementary school, didn't want it either. Till parents began complaining. The games weren't just games, they taught parts of a weapon, how to make them even though they possibly couldn't, and how to operate them. Kids learned how to use blades correctly and to kill efficiently and 'correctly'. Parents and guardians alike weren't happy with what their children had learned. They were even more horrified to find out their kids enjoyed what they were doing, and one father snapped when his child told him he was going to make kill a certain population one day.

Don't get me wrong, but I still wouldn't have taken it away. Like you said, most of it won't rub off, but the adults were getting angry and Youngblood was already being charged enough. When that first girl was in the pod, I couldn't stand it…I couldn't…She was screaming or her parents…and..and…when she came out, the look on her face…" She sighed, shaking her head. "I even tried handing back her rifle. She wouldn't take it."

"I wanted to trust you with this," she continued. "Even if you don't have much time…I want you girl to trust me. I can't elaborate now, but I chose you for your smarts. Piece it together while you still can."

The woman stood up, pushing in her chair. "A lot of former members will come to a conclusion that it was just a dream something out of their imagination. Heck, they could even be having flashbacks as dreams which confuses them even more. It doesn't matter to us if they conclude whether it is important or not. Maybe some might just let it slide and forget. All I know is that you can help those who have a hard dealing with it." All three girls rose from their seats, nodding. "Some will remember in a flash, or bit by bit. All depends."

She was about to place the last of her belongings into her handbag till her eyes spotted something. The woman picked up some photos, examining them. A smile curled up her lips as she placed it face up on the table. There were thirteen in all, nine photos group photos of each class, and four were of each team. Two sets of RED, two sets of BLUE, all designated to fight at different times.

Stuey picked one up delicately, her finger tracing over each member of her RED team. "Is this all?" Tess questioned, laughing a bit at her nine year old self holding a bomb triumphantly in the air.

The woman began collecting them again, tucking the pictures carefully into her bag. "We still have lots of info," she answered. "More footage and such. I'm sorry, it's confidential though. But you never know when we will show it, or who we will show it to."

"I understand."

The four began their way towards the stairs, ascending step by step while exchanging civil chatter. James tensed as they neared them, body ready to make a dash for it. Beside him, Ashley was already posed to bolt. She nodded, pretending to tip an invisible hat. Receiving the hint, they darted out of their hiding spots, skipping steps climb the stairs faster. Ashley was only a few steps from the door when a hand clamped onto her shoulder, pulling her backwards. "Hello Miss Sheenan." She took a step back, the three girls behind her gawking. "I trust you're feeling better?"

"Way better than I'll ever be, thank you very much," spat out Ashley, narrowing her eyes at the woman. "Im not here for you anyways, I'm here for them." She gestured to Zandra, Stuey and Tess.

James waved kindly at the woman, holding the door open for the rest of the ladies. The woman parted with them as they came to a corner waving goodbye. "I forgot to introduce myself," she called out. "You can call me Miss Pauling."

"Whatever you say lady," she muttered under her breath, low enough so she couldn't hear.

"Wow Ashley," said James softly. "This is like, the first time I ever saw you really pissed at someone."

"You haven't seen me yet." Ashley lead them to a vacant table, seating herself in the middle. Her head was in her hands, brain trying to process past's reality. Beside her Zandra kept looking around, noticing that the chatter hadn't subsided, yet there was no telling if any of them regained their old memories. Once they did so, it would be the talk of the week, maybe a month. Or maybe they wouldn't let go of it at all.

Gabriel quickly stole the last seat, sticking a tongue out at Mat, who had only begun to rise from his table. "Where have you guys been? We only have like, five minutes of lunch left." Everyone around looked out of it, as if they were someplace else. They might as well have been.

After two minutes of silence, he let Mat take the seat and trudged back to his own table. Mat folded his hands neatly, and then began flailing, yelling out garbled gibberish. Robert watched from afar, laughing softly. He could tell they were trying to ignore him, but soon enough, Mat would break through all concentration.

It wasn't till Shawn tapped him on the shoulder that he paused watching. He turned to the wiry boy, raising an eyebrow. "My brain's all fucked up," he exclaimed. "Um…uh…I dunno if I'm goin' crazy or anything, but I swear to god I remember you when I was little…"

He put a hand to his forehead, thinking for a bit. Robert cocked his head to the side, confused. He had dreamt of battles last night, however everything played out perfectly. The dream played out like an episode, nothing to stop it, nothing to make it gone. It stayed in his brain, where most often, dreams didn't. "What's up?" he asked after two minutes of no reply.

Shawn sighed, straightening his glasses. "Weren't you a Pyro?"

**A/N: To me, I've noticed Mrs. Pauling's personality is a bit of a kept in, yet sarcastic type. At least in what I wrote her in. Any criticsizms on her would be appreciated. **


End file.
